Re: Help with Tomato Plant(leaves)

Re: Help with Tomato Plant(leaves)

Sun Feb 16, 2014 2:18 pm

That is a classic example of a leafminer. Most of the time it is a tiny fly maggot. There is also a leafminer moth caterpillar. Either way, it is only unsightly, but of no consequence. If it bothers you, or you get extremely high numbers of them as I do here in South Florida, a great control is yellow sticky traps. You can get them at Amazon 15 for about $13. These are mostly leafminer flies from my garden.

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My definition of insanity; trying to grow heirloom tomatoes in South Florida!

Re: Help with Tomato Plant(leaves)

Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:10 pm

Leafminers cause mainly cosmetic damage. Besides the sticky trap. you can also use netting. If the plants are not that big. I use tuille from the fabric store. It is best to use netting before you have a problem. Pick off the damaged leaves. If the trail has just started squish the larvae bump at the end of the trail so it will not emerge.

Re: Help with Tomato Plant(leaves)

Sun Feb 16, 2014 6:03 pm

Yup as people have said leaf miners. If it's not a major infestation, you can just remove the squiggled leaves (and discard, not in compost). It helps to grow trap crops. I have velvetleaf, a wildflower with very soft leaves that the leaf miners love. They attack the velvetleaf and leave my crops alone. Lambsquarter and columbine are also noted as trap crops for them.

It also helps to have things heavily mulched. After the larva matures, it comes out of the leaf and drops down to the soil, where it burrows in and pupates and emerges an adult. Mulch makes it harder for it to get to the soil and complete the life cycle.

Re: Help with Tomato Plant(leaves)

Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:43 pm

Yes definite leaf miner, not the best thing for your plants but if I had to choose one problem they might be it since the damage is very minimal and fighting them is as easy as cutting off affected leaves.